#Jesse Laitinen - Photographer

[cultofpoppy-tm]

Poppy's cover story for Beat Magazine, Issue 35, Winter 2024. Photographed by Jesse Laitinen, interviewed by Owen Myers.

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#poppy #cult of poppy #queen #poppy's world #i'm poppy #cute #fashion #interview #cover #cover story #thebeatjuice #photography #beat magazine #uk #issue 35 #winter 2024

[artfulfashion]

Laura Haddock wearing Magda Butrym for The Title May 2022, photographed by Jesse Laitinen 

#laura haddock #magda butrym #the title #celebs #women in suits #interior spaces #2020s

[hyakoukoune]

Oklou Photographer: Jesse Laitinen

#Portrait #noir et blanc #femme #poil #hairy #woman #onna #aisselle

[blackbeautyro]

Akuol Deng Atem for Vogue Italia 2021, photographed by Jesse Laitinen

#akuol deng #beauty #black girl magic #black beauty #blackgirlmagic #photography

[black-is-no-colour]

Maggie Maurer in "Dead of a Night", photographed by Jesse Laitinen and styled by Natalie Brewster for Unpolished Magazine Spring Summer 2020

#Maggie Maurer #Jesse Laitinen #Natalie Brewster #fashion #fashion shoot #editorial #Unpolished #Unpolished Magazine #model #style #dark #fashion photography

[thelogician]

Nur Hellmann photographed by Jesse Laitinen for Marie Claire France September 2020

#nur hellmann #jesse laitinen #marie claire france #anne sophie thomas #balenciaga #m

[wherethespiritmeetstheboneposts]

Maggie Maurer photographed by Jesse Laitinen

#maggie maurer #jesse laitinen #fashion photography

[fashionmadnesss]

UTOPIA, REVS magazine, december 2012

photographer: Jesse Laitinen model: Josefien Rodermans styling: Nicole Walker

[fadedday]

Tessa Kuragi by Jesse Laitinen

#tessa kuragi #Jesse Laitinen #artistic nude #nudephotography #photographic nude #art nude #black and white

[parasoli]

Songhwa Oh photographed by Jesse Laitinen for Vogue Ukraine July 2018.

#lips #eyes #songhwa oh #jesse laitinen #vogue ukraine #july 2018

[artfulfashion]

Laura Haddock for The Title May 2022, photographed by Jesse Laitinen

#laura haddock #the title #jesse laitinen #yunn liu #magda butrym #toteme #black and white photography #celebs #2020s

[stylish-editorials]

Dany Rose Langeron photographed by Jesse Laitinen for Marie Claire US (February 2018)

#dany rose langeron #marie claire #fashion #editorial #fashion editorial #model #jesse laitinen #february 2018

[marcjacobs]

Kathia wearing Marc Jacobs Spring ‘18 

Photographed by Jesse Laitinen, styled by Enrique Campos for Marie Claire

#Marc Jacobs #Marie Claire #Kathia #Jesse Laitinen #Enrique Campos #Spring '18 #MJSS18 #Fashion Editorial #Fashion #Editorial

[black-is-no-colour]

Marie Claire France December 2019, Editorial “Grande Forme”. Coat Maison Margiela by John Galliano, Défilé Fall 2019 collection. Top Proenza Schouler. Trousers J.W. Anderson.

Photographer Jesse Laitinen, Model Miki Ehara, styled by Julie Pailhas

#Maison Margiela #Margiela #Maison Margiela by John Galliano #John Galliano #Galliano #Jesse Laitinen #Miki Ehara #Julie Pailhas #fashion #fashion shoot #editorial #Marie Claire #Marie Claire France #model #style #aw19 #fashion photography

[rebeccalartfoundation]

Photography 3- Photomontages

In today’s session we explore photomontages.

Hannah Hoch

Cut with the Dada Kitchen Knife through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany, 1919

Dompteuse, c. 1930

Hannah Hoch- The only female artist who was involved in Berlin Dada movement. She is also known as one of the original creators of photomontage. However Hoch was often dismissed as an amateur in the dada by her male colleagues.  

Despite these challenges and setbacks, Hoch was not deterred. This is evident in the art work ‘Cut with the Dada kitchen knife...’ which reflects her frustrations within the movement. 

 A review and editorial of Hoch’s work on Artsy.net states ‘Throughout her career, Höch embraced a wide range of art forms. Even in her famed photomontages built from mass-media magazine cutouts, she embeds the tenets of painting—a respect for color and pattern. And she references processes that were considered craft and women’s work at the time: embroidery, lace, textile, and fashion design.’

It’s interesting that she has referenced a process that would’ve been considered women’s work- and therefore seen less taxing or commended in the art world. 

I was also intrigued by the artist’s use of compositions to create surreal forms or even challenge subject matter and conventions. Hoch would also often mix male and female imagery together to  challenge gender issues at the time.

Peter Kennard

Stop Privatisation 1, 1984

NHS in rubbles, 1984

Peter Kennard’s photomontages are political and usually features social commentary, therefore Studium is extremely relevant for his work. I found his work to be powerful and angry that issues of privatisation of public services and struggles/the slow privatisation of the NHS is still prevalent- 40 years on. His work has made me consider the meanings behind art and how I can present them in powerful ways. This includes my goal to produce art based around mental health- an issue I have touched on in my sculpture project. 

Rosanna Webster

Collages for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Photos by Luke Gilford (Date Unknown)

Collages for Models 1 New Faces Launch, Photography: Jesse Laitinen

Rosanna Webster, Cuba (Date unknown)

I really like Webster’s work- particularly the use of gifs as a photomontage, which creates an interactive element. Its interesting to note that the gifs are a collaborative effect, where she has not taken the photographs but transformed it into gifs. I think it would be interesting to explore gifs as art but I’m not sure how technical it is, something to look into. However it’s inspired the idea that I could use projector and project a looping video onto my art, which could add an interesting layer. I love the blooming flower over the model and could incorporate something similar into one of my own projects. I also noted Webster’s colour scheme with Cuba, where she has created the photomontage around the pink shirt and red cap.

Own photomontage

For homework we work tasked to create our own photomontage. 

Photomontage #1

Photomontage #2

For the first photomontage I had printed a selfie from my 29th birthday and cut my face out of it. I replaced it with botanical imagery from a magazine and some branches coming out of my head. I was unsure whether to include the branches but I feel it adds more interest and represents growth within a person well.  Botanicals are a strong theme within my work and photomontage is a good medium to play around with this theme. I was also inspired by Rosanna Webster and her use of floral imagery and Alma Haser with her transformed portraits.

For the second one, I was drawn to the patterned wallpaper from a fashion magazine and was working with more colours and shapes in mind. I ripped the edges of the paper to experiment with texture and use solid colour paper for contrast. I also explored transforming images into something else- adding the arm as a head accessory and a gold bowl as an earring.

Reflection

Overall it was an interesting session and feel inspired by the above artists. I am particularly keen to explore the ideas of gigs or moving image within a piece- inspired by Rosanna Webster. The homework was also useful in terms of composition and arranging things to be most effective. It is also interesting to note ethics within photomontage. Webber (2000) argues that ‘The 'seamless' alteration of photographs and other visual images made possible by computer technology has allowed misrepresentation with intent to deceive, and difficulty in establishing copyright of original images.’

While Webber focuses on the digital aspect of photo montaging, it can also be related for the traditional way. Photomontaging often uses images sourced from others and rearranged to the artist’s own meaning. Could images be lost in translation or made more meaningful this way? I argue that photomontage can be used in a positive way or to highlight important issues instead of just to deceive. An example of this is Peter Kennard’s work, who use of an NHS ward sign, an image used for information, has been transformed into a powerful political piece when composited with rubble. 

For my own photomontages, I had mostly sourced from secondary sources, mainly magazines and created the composition. For my first photomontage I had use a primary source- a selfie but altered with florals from a magazine. I felt this was a creative choice, I could’ve printed photos of flowers that I have taken but purposely chose images from another source. I felt that it would feel more like an ‘authentic’ photomontage if I had used found images instead of my own. Was this because of the examples I’ve seen in class that had influenced this decision? Or that generally photomontaging is based on using sources from others and subverting meaning?

Referencing 

Webber, J. (1) “The Ethics/ Skills Interface in Image Manipulation”, Australasian Journal of Information Systems. Australia, 7(2). doi: 10.3127/ajis.v7i2.265.

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Ola Rudnicka photographed by Jesse Laitinen for Marie Claire France September 2017